Free Protecting Fate by Katee Robert Page A

she.
    “And what does this non-exhaustive file say?” She walked into the kitchen and went straight to the fridge to pull out several stacks of Tupperware.
    “Do you want some help?”
    She waved him away. “Sit. This will only take a minute. And stop trying to change the subject.”
    Z leaned forward, propping his elbows on the counter. “If you were charged with guarding someone, or setting it up, what information would you put in there?”
    She paused. “Is this some weird way of answering without answering?”
    “I’m curious.” He’d only met Rodger Reaver a few times, but he was a man who would fit on Z’s team. He was competent and smart and had a ruthless streak that Z could admire. He might have given Garrett training, but the Army had done a lot of that, too. But Rodger had Sara working under him for years. To hear tell of it, he was grooming her to take over the company when he finally retired.
    She’d been off her game for the last two days, but she hadn’t let being caught off-guard slow her down after that first time. It was impressive, really. And he found himself wanting to know more, to see more.
    “Okay, fine, I’ll play. I’d get every bit of information that linked up my client with the person or entity that wanted to see them dead. Knowing the why behind it could be useful, especially since it could potentially tell me how far the enemy is willing to go in order to take them out—and how hard my people are going to have to work to keep the client alive.” She dumped several of the bowls into a large saucepan, turned on the heat, and then covered it.
    “Then I’d look into what would make my client problematic. Do they have any addictions, any history of stupid behavior, any red flags that would mean my job making sure the idiot didn’t end up dead would be harder than normal.” She tapped her finger against her lip. “I might look into what their weaknesses and interests were, too. You want to make the situation as comfortable as you can, while still being safe, so they don’t get twitchy and decide to take a jaunt somewhere that would complicate the situation.”
    He found he liked listening to her reason it out. He’d known she was smart, but seeing it was something else altogether. Z sat back to keep from reaching for her. “That about sums it up.”
    “Really? And here I thought you’d have the name of the guy I lost my virginity to or what my favorite food is. I’m very disappointed.”
    “I can see that.” He shook his head, smiling despite himself. “Why don’t you fill in the blanks then, since my file is so lacking?”
    “Yeah, no, I don’t think I’ll make it that easy on you.” Her eyes lit up. “You first.”
    He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “I’m not a sharer.”
    “Funny, neither am I. It’s tit for tat, Z.” With a grin that kicked him right in the chest, she turned back to check the pan and stir it.
    Would it really hurt to share such harmless information? Just because they talked didn’t mean they’d traipse through ancient history that was better left untouched. He watched her set a kettle on the stove. “Okay, I’ll play.” He thought back over the two questions she’d brought up. Easy enough to answer. “I lost my virginity to a sweet girl named Hilary. My favorite food is Mexican.”
    “Was it any good?”
    “Mexican is always good.”
    She laughed, the sound high and bright and perfectly Sara. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
    Yeah, he did. But he liked hearing her laugh. It made him want to do or say something to draw out that sound again. Instead, he answered her question. “I thought it was, though I’ve learned a thing or two since then.”
    Her grin widened. “I imagine so.”
    “Your turn, sweetheart.”
    “His name was Stephen and he wasn’t a sweet boy, and my favorite food is paella.” She hopped onto the counter next to the stove. “Okay, this could be fun. Why did you start the whole